


All's Fair in Love and War (the apocalypse counts as war, right?)

by StripedSunhat



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: ...somehow, Coping, F/F, Fights, Flashbacks, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Getting Back Together, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Language, Non-Linear Narrative, Paranoia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steve is the best friend, and fake uncles, coping however you can, it's hard when you've dealt with more apocalypses than they have traffic accidents, the kids are alright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-10-01 17:17:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20348473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StripedSunhat/pseuds/StripedSunhat
Summary: When she was twenty-three Robin’s girlfriend of two months accused her of being a survivalist.Robin Buckley has survived multiple events that could realistically be described as the end of the world.  She has faced down monsters and shady government agents from multiple countries and nearly died more times than she cares to think about.  She has helped her best friend herd an entire flock of small children into adolescence, one of whom could kill people with her mind.  She has dated Kali freaken Prasad and had a bedroom that shared a wall with Steve, Nancy and Jonathan.So no, Robin will not apologize for being ready.





	All's Fair in Love and War (the apocalypse counts as war, right?)

**Author's Note:**

> Be warned, here be language. A lot of it. Our girl is not happy

When she was twenty-three Robin’s girlfriend of two months accused her of being a survivalist.

* * *

“What the hell is a survivalist?” Robin demanded, following Laurie into the kitchen.

Laurie threw open the cupboard doors, grabbing her nasty ‘calming tea’ that she insisted on drinking every night. “It’s a crazy person who always thinks the end of the world is coming for _no good reason._”

* * *

“But we shut down the portal.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you guys say El did that the year before last? Before the Russians reopened it last year?”

“No!” Mike yelled slamming his hands on the table. “Hopper blew it up. Hopper died blowing it up. El lost her dad to end this.”

Max curled up, pulling her arms around her legs. “Hopper died. Billy died. It can’t be back. It’s not fair otherwise.”

“Yeah, well…” Robin sought out Nancy’s gaze across the group. She remembered Barbara Holand, mousy and bitter and always at Nancy Wheeler’s side. She remembered taking notice when she disappeared, keenly aware of how few people would care if she had been the one to disappear. She remembered the funeral a year later and a year late. “I don’t think fair really has a place here.”

* * *

“I don’t do that!”

“Yes you do.” Laurie yanked the coffee maker out of its outlet and shoved it into the box. “Every time anything happens. Anything. You always immediately jump to the end of the goddamn world.”

* * *

“Will you just listen to me?”

“I am listening,” Jonathan said, fiddling with his camera in a way Robin was at least eighty percent sure was an excuse to not look at her. Robin grabbed it from his hands, setting it down and planting herself in front of it.

“No you’re not. This is important!”

“Why are you coming to me with this? Why come all the way here? Why not tell Steve?” His voice skipped over Steve’s name, the same way it did over anything to do with Hawkins.

“Steve thought it was nothing.”

Jonathan sighed. He stopped reaching for his camera and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. “Look, I get it. What happened last summer, with the Russians and the Mind Flayer… It was a lot. It’s okay to be rattled. But it’s _over._”

“You’re just as bad as Steve! Look I get that I’m late to the party or whatever but that’s why I’m right! All of your guys are too close! You’re so convinced it’s over every time you can’t see the pattern that every year for the last three years something horrible has happened. And guess what, we’re due. This? This is it.”

“Robin…” 

“Don’t _Robin_ me! Where’s your mom? _She’ll_ believe me.”

* * *

“And even when nothing’s happening. Even when everything’s perfect you’re still planning for it.” Kitchen ransacked, Laurie stormed into the bedroom. “Like any moment a switch will be flicked and the world will go to shit.”

* * *

“_It’s nothing Robin. You’re being paranoid Robin. It’s over Robin._ I am going to hold this over your head for the rest of your _life_.”

“Yeah, well,” Steve let out a slightly hysterical laugh, cradling Jonathan’s unconscious body in one hand and an absolutely terrifying spiked bat in the other. “You’d better get on that now because you might not get a lot of time otherwise.”

“Oh no. We are going to live. You’re going to live a very long life Steve Harrington and I’m going to remind you of this every. Single. Day.” She took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Now come on. We need to get out of here and tell the others.”

A series of gunshots rent the air followed by a stream of very creative and _very_ explicit profanity from a very familiar voice.

Steve glanced at her. “I think Nancy knows already.”

* * *

“You are a fucking paranoid survivalist nutjob and I’m sick of it!” Laurie flung open the closet. The door bounced against the wall, leaving a crack in the plaster.

“Where the hell did you even learn that term?”

“I had an uncle who was one. He holed up in this little storm cellar thing with a nothing but a shotgun and like five hundred cans of beans and eventually starved to death in his own shit because he was too afraid to come out.”

“Bullshit,” Robin spat. “You never had any survivalist uncle. You don’t have any uncles at all.”

“Okay, fine,” she said, shoving her handful of shirts into a trash bag. “I don’t. But that doesn’t mean you’re not crazy.”

“Me? _I’m_ not the one who made up a _fake uncle._”

* * *

“He’s my uncle.” Robin hitched the half-conscious body back up from where he was slumped against her and gave the official her best innocent smile. “He’s had a bit too much to drink. It was a really rough week.” 

“Your… uncle.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I thought the man you came in with–”

“They’re both my uncles. One on my mom’s side, one on my dad’s. But they’re very close. We’re all very close. One big happy family.” Behind the counter Murry signaled for her to keep talking. “He was part of this pen-pal thing, sort of a mail order bride kind of deal. Except instead of her coming to America he was supposed to come here and pick her up. Except it didn’t work out that way. Broke his heart. Left a note. A Dear John letter. Did you ever get one of those?” The official said nothing. “Of course you haven’t. So, yeah. he was here, alone… heartbroken… She took one look at him and left him behind. Took his money though. Robbed him blind. Even took his shoes. That’s um, that’s why he’s barefoot. It’s all very sad. Can you blame a guy for trying to drink away his troubles after something like that? Anyway, he kind of got himself into a bit of a tight spot, what with the no money thing and everything. So I, as his loving niece came to bail him out. Do you have any nieces?”

The body stirred. “Wha–?” He blinked blearily and peered up at her as much as he could. “Who’re yo–” Robin elbowed him in the stomach.

“Shut _up_ Uncle Hopper,” she growled as quietly as she could. She smiled again even wider. “Heh-heh. He’s had a lot too much to drink.” The official began reaching for his phone.

Murry tased him. “A mail order bride? Really?”

“Shut up _Uncle_ Murry.”

* * *

“Do you have any idea how exhausting that is?” Laurie asked, gesturing wildly with a pair of shoes. “To be with someone who’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop? Who can never unclench for more than five seconds?”

“Well I’m _sorry_ I’m so goddamn exhausting for you! How _ever_ did you manage?”

* * *

The air was too thick and too thin all at once. Everything was crushing down on her and she couldn’t breathe. Every time she tried to take a breath nothing happened. There wasn’t any air left and everything was too heavy and it was going to crush her into nothing and she couldn’t breathe –

“Robin? Robin calm down!”

How am she supposed to calm down? How was she ever supposed to relax again?

Steve grabbed his shoulders, staring at her with worried eyes. “Robin breathe. Deep breaths. Just stop for a minute and breath. Just breathe.” Robin sucked in a shuddery breath, doing her best to follow Steve’s instructions. God she was so stupid. It was supposed to be a fun night. Kick back, have a few beers and celebrate their first week of being back in the world of the gainfully employed, if a movie store could be considered gainful. Then Robin had to freak out all because some Russian sounding – not even real Russian – gibberish on the radio and tip herself into a panic attack. “Guess I’m not in such a party mood after all.” She sucked in another breath. “Sorry. I–” Suddenly she couldn’t do it anymore. She grabbed her bag and shot to her feet. “Sorry.”

“Robin wait!” Steve yelled behind her. “Robin!”

* * *

“You’re a real bitch, you know that Robin?”

* * *

“You fucking bitch!”

Robin brandished the tire iron, ready to take another swing. “You’re damn right I’m a bitch! I’m the bitch that’s going to make you wish you’d never found either of your ‘sisters’. I’m the bitch that’s going to make your life a living hell!”

Seth’s face split into a sharp, unhinged grin. “Living hell?” The air began to flicker with heat. Robin began to deeply regret pissing off someone with pyrokinesis. “I’ll show you living hell.”

* * *

“Oh _I’m_ the bitch? What about you? You want to talk about the first time you met all my friends?”

“Your friends? You mean that weirdo collection of kids from your cursed old hometown that none of you can let go of?”

* * *

“Woo! The party is back together!” Dustin yelled, hoisting his soda into the air. The ‘real adults’ had already rounded up all the alcohol, dragging it back to their corner in a way that said they’d have to at least pretend there wouldn’t be any underage drinking for the next few hours.

“This is hardly the first time the party’s been back together after being split up,” Mike said, flopping down on the couch. “It’s not even like the twentieth time anymore.”

In response Dustin flung himself into Mike, knocking Holly into Max as he did so. Max lunged after him, elbowing Lucas as she went. El, never one to be left out, starting chucking pillows at everyone in range. Pretty soon there was an all-out wrestling match in the living room, which was a lot more destructive than when they were all squirts.

“Hey!” Steve yelled. “You assholes better not ruin our new place!” A pillow hit him in the face. “Oh that’s it.”

“Bring it Harrington!”

Jonathan grabbed Steve’s arm, dragging him into the kitchen with him and Nancy.

“Urgh.” Robin flopped bonelessly onto the nearest body, distantly gratified when arms caught her rather than let her fall. “God save me from the lovebirds.” She reached up and shook Will’s shoulders. “And I have to live with the three of them.” Will rolled his eyes and dropped her.

“You’ll live.”

“Rude,” she said even as Erica and Kali started cackling.

* * *

“It’s like this fucking bubble that no one else can get through. The Hawkins kids club. And you never even try to grow past it or let anyone else in.”

Robin faltered for the first time since the fight had started. “I–”

* * *

“He’s our brother.”

“Your brother. You mean like…” Mike trailed off, gesturing to his arm where El and Kali’s tattoos would be.

“Yes.”

“And are you sure you can trust him?”

“He’s our brother,” El repeated.

Kali inched closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to meet him. Whether my little sister wants to come with me is her choice, not yours.”

El glanced up at Kali. “I’m going.”

“Aw hell,” Hopper said, scrubbing his face. “Really kid?”

“Yes.”

“Well,” Joyce said, “then I guess we’re all going.” She plastered on an over-bright smile. “Let’s go meet the family.”

* * *

“It’s like I’m never going to good enough just because I wasn’t born in fucking podunk Hawkins.”

* * *

“She’s my sister.”

“Uh, far be it for me to bring in the intricacies of genetics into what is clearly an emotionally charged moment,” Dustin broke in, “But there is no way she’s your sister.”

The Indian girl who’d stormed into Joyce’s house less than a minute ago turned her glare onto Dustin. Steve immediately stepped in front of him. Jonathan pulled El closer to him, hand firm on her shoulder. The girl – woman, she was older than Robin – rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small tattoo reading 008. Oh shit. Robin gripped Steve’s bat and prayed it wouldn’t come to explosions. The girl turned back to El. “Who are they?”

“They’re my friends.” Out of the corner of her eye Robin could see El straighten. “They’re my family.”

The strange girl raised her eyebrow. “Family? Where’s your cop?”

El’s breath caught. Both Will and Mike crowded in close to her. “Gone.”

“Then that’s all the more reason you should come with me.”

Joyce pushed herself to the front. “I don’t care who you are. El is _my_ daughter and this is _my_ house and _you_ are not welcome here.”

* * *

“Newsflash Robin. You aren’t in Hawkins anymore. You’re here. With _me._”

* * *

The world was spinning. She couldn’t breathe. The air was too heavy and too thin all at once –

“Hey, hey! I’m here. I’m here. I’m right here love.” A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, grounding her. Robin clung blindly to them. “You’re not in Russia anymore. You’re not in the facility anymore. You’re not in Hawkins anymore,” the voice said. “You’re here. With me. I’ve got you. You’re here, you’re safe.” Slowly the world solidified back into focus.

“Steve. Will, Holly–”

“They’re fine. They’re all fine. Do you want to call them?”

Robin sucked in a breath, relieved when there was actual air in it. “No. No, it’s the middle of the night.” Her fingers curled around the sheets. They were safe, they were out. “It’s fine. Just… Stay up with me?”

“Of course love. I’m here. I’m always here.”

* * *

“But you’re still so stuck. Like it’s so much more real than anything else to you. And I can’t do it. I can’t stay here and not be real.”

The guilt which had been bubbling up came flooding over. “Laurie, I’m sorry. I’m sorry okay? I– Fuck! I never meant to make you feel that way. You are real. Of course you are. I just–”

“You just _what_ Robin?”

“It’s complicated.”

* * *

“Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if monsters hadn’t invaded Hawkins? Like if it had been normal?”

Steve took a long drag of the joint. “I’d probably still be an asshole.”

“No you wouldn’t.”

“Sure I would. Without all the monsters I never would have gotten my head out of my ass. I never would have become friends with you. I would have found some other way to screw things up with Nancy. I never would have stopped harassing Jonathan. And I never would have met any of the kids. Or at the very least I wouldn’t have ever cared about them. I would have become my _dad_.”

Robin had more than enough of a picture of Steve’s home to know how much of an option that never was. “You never would have become your dad. No matter what else happened.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Where would you be with a normal life?”

Robin stole the joint and took a long puff to put off answering. “I would have been… alone. I’d have my old band friends who I never told any real secrets to and I would have gotten out of Hawkins as fast as humanly possible and never looked back. I would have moved to the city straight out of high school, into some shit apartment. Maybe found a girlfriend. Or maybe I still would have never told anyone about me at all.”

* * *

“Complicated. Complicated like Steve Harrington?”

“What the fuck does that mean, _complicated like Steve_?”

* * *

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing our lives aren’t normal, isn’t it?” His fingers twined themselves with hers and squeezed. “We’ve got each other now.”

“Yeah. I guess we do.”

* * *

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” she asked, pushing past Robin back into the main room.

“Yes. Please, spell it out for me. Because I’m apparently too stupid to understand what my best friend has to do with all this.”

“Best friend, yeah right. You can drop the fucking act Robin.” Laurie suddenly wheeled on her. “You’re fucking in love with him!”

Robin’s world tilted on its axis. “You think I’m in love… with _Steve?_”

* * *

“You’re my best friend.” Steve craned his neck to look at her. “I love you, you know that?”

“Yeah dingus, I know. I love you too.”

“Aww, you love me!”

“Sh-Shut up you moron!” she said, laughing hard enough she could barely form the words.

“Robin Buckley loves me!” Steve yelled, staggering to his feet. The joint fell onto the ground as Robin grabbed at his shirt, pulling him back down.

“Oh my God! You’re such a dork!”

“But I’m your dork,” Steve said, bopping her nose with a finger. “Because you love me.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your head.”

* * *

Laurie stared back, arms crossed in that way she did that she thought made her look tough and badass. Robin had never had the heart to tell her it made her look ridiculous. “Well aren’t you?”

“Of course I’m not! Gross!” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or barf. On one hand Steve was her best friend in the whole world and her rock and the first person she ever came out to. On the other hand, Steve was… Steve. “Steve is my _friend._ Besides which, I know he doesn’t always act like it, but he is a guy, which I think would create some problems there.”

Laurie’s lip curled up in a completely unattractive sneer. “So you’ve never slept with him then?”

* * *

“Quick, take off your clothes.”

Steve stared dumbly at her even as Robin pulled off her jacket. “What?”

“Take off your goddamned clothes!” she growled, hitching up his shirt. “We’re about to be caught!”

“And how does us being half naked help with that?”

“Think dingus. What’s the most common reason for two teenagers to sneak into somewhere off limits and alone?”

She could practically see the light go off behind his eyes. “Ohhh…”

“Yeah. Now take off your clothes before they get here.”

* * *

“Oh My God! What the fuck kind of question is that!”

“That’s not a no.”

“Of course I haven’t slept with Steve! What the Fuck Laurie! Seriously? What the _actual_ Fuck.”

Laurie jammed her finger into Robin’s chest, crowding into her space. “You’re with him literally all the time! At first I thought you had a crush on Nancy but that’s clearly not the case. What am I supposed to think?”

* * *

“Are you and Steve dating now?”

Robin froze. Lucas kept staring expectantly at her. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. You fought Russians together. That’s got be kind of the same as fighting monsters.”

Robin forced herself to turn back to the shelves she was stocking. “Is that how you and Max got together? Fighting monsters?”

Lucas shrugged. “Kinda. And it worked for Mike and El and Nancy and Jonathan. Plus Dustin said–”

Robin held up a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there. If your argument relies on the phrase _plus Dustin said_ then it’s already deeply flawed. Just like how I would never start an argument with _plus Steve said_.”

“So, you’re… not dating him.”

“And not planning on it squirt.”

* * *

“You’re supposed to trust me and not accuse me of sleeping with my _male best friend._”

* * *

Steve fumbled with his belt with one hand, pawing through the shelves with the other.

“What are you doing?” Robin hissed.

“I thought I saw– Hah!” Steve brandished the half-empty bottle of vodka. “Some alcohol to lubricate those bad decisions?”

“Steve you are a genius!” she said, grabbing the bottle.

“Yeah I am!” He threw a fist-pump only to almost trip over his pants still caught around his ankles.

Robin gargled a mouthful of vodka, passing the bottle back. Steve downed a swallow before dumping some directly onto Robin’s shirt. “Hey! I like that shirt!”

“Well we’re going for drunk and stupid right?”

Before she could say anything the doorknob turned. They both stared dumbly at it for a second as it jangled. She and Steve broke out of it and grabbed for each other just as the guard came in.

* * *

“Well that would be a lot easier to do if you were honest with me about _literally anything_.”

“You know what Laurie, fuck you. Fuck you I don’t owe you anything. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

* * *

“Would you care to explain?”

“Explain what?” The cop – not a government goon or an assassin or a dirty cop in the know, just a regular small-town beat cop and not even a Hawkins beat cop – did not look impressed. Fair enough. Robin wasn’t impressed with him either. “Let’s start with what you’re doing here. Or maybe, I don’t know, what the hell happened.”

A burning beam snapped and fell to the ground in a shower of sparks.

“Did something happen? I only just got here. I got lost. Heard some crashing noises and came to investigate.”

“Got lost. Behind a locked fence and past four separate no trespassing signs.”

“Were there? I must have missed them. And the gate was kinda… gone. By the time I got here. Whatever it was it looks like it was wild.” Jonathan’s car pulled up behind the cop’s back. Max stuck her head out, waving wildly at her to come. “Best of luck figuring it out officer.” Robin took off running.

* * *

“You want me to say something? How about this? Scared little straight girl thought she’d give liking girls a try. What, trying to get over your feelings for Steve? Or does he really think you’re gay? But you’re not are you? You’re just–” Robin punched her.

* * *

“So, you’re not straight,” Dustin said by way of an opening. Robin nearly swallowed her tongue.

“Jesus Dustin! Wh-What are you talking about?”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “Please. I was right there when the thermal bomb went off, remember?”

“It wasn’t a thermal bomb. It–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dustin cut in, waving her off. “I know. But thermal bomb sounds cooler. And you’re deflecting. I saw your little lip-lock.”

“We were about to die.”

“There were ten guys in that warehouse and you choose to plant one on–”

“What do you want Dustin?” Robin snapped, the tension running through her. Dustin wouldn’t hate her. Dustin was Steve’s favorite kid, his protégé. Even if he did hate her Steve would help her set him straight. She wouldn’t lose everyone over this, she _wouldn’t._

“So you like girls. Which is great. I like girls too.” Oh God was this Dustin’s version of trying to show he was accepting? Robin missed the muppet singing. “Like, I know I like girls. I’ve had a girlfriend. Who was awesome. And I really liked. Like, a lot. So I know I like girls. Except now there’s this boy…”

Robin couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she said in between bursts of hysterical relieved laughter. “I’m not laughing at you I swear. It’s just we are having a very different conversation than I thought we were having.” She finally calmed herself down enough to look back up at Dustin. “You can like both guys and girls you know. It’s called bisexual.”

Dustin blinked at her like she’d just rearranged the universe. “That’s a thing?”

Well it was an infinitely better reaction than Steve’s stuttering denials that _that can’t be a thing_ so she’d take it. “It’s a thing. Not _my_ thing, but totally a thing.” She waved a theatrical arm behind her. “Step into my parlor. Allow me to educate you.”

* * *

Laurie stared at her, cradling her bleeding nose. “Fuck you,” Robin snarled.

“You fucking bitch.” Laurie said. “God you are such a pathological liar. I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You’re just a crazy, paranoid bitch who’s convinced the world’s going to end because she can’t deal with real life.”

* * *

“Do we really have to do this?” Mike whined. Nancy remained unmoved.

“Yes. College is _important_.”

“You guys deserve to have a real life,” Jonathan added, quiet but immovable.

“We have a life. Monster slaying and constantly saving the world. Robin was right there’s totally a pattern.”

“Do not bring me into this. I’m completely siding with Nancy and Jonathan on this one. You need a life for the eleven months out of the year when monsters aren’t trying to kill us.”

“Yeah but do we have to do this _now_? We only just started junior year last week.”

“I only just started _high school_.” Erica broke in. “I’d like to enjoy at least part of it before having to deal with all this nerd stuff.” Holly started braiding her hair.

“We should have started this summer. We would have if that thing with the Wight hadn’t happened.”

“You could always blow this off,” Steve said from where he was leaning against the wall. Both his boyfriend and girlfriend turned towards him with absolute murder in their eyes. Robin inched away so she wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire if they killed him before he got to his point. “I’m sure we could find you some nice ice-cream parlor to swing sweets at.”

“Hey that worked out in the end, remember? We uncovered a Russian base and helped save the world. Again.”

“Nancy buried her face in her hands.

* * *

“Come back here and say that to my face!”

“Fuck you!”

“No, Fuck _you!_”

“I can’t believe I ever–” Laurie wrenched the front door open only to suddenly stop. Unable to slow down in time Robin ran into her, bouncing off her. She craned her neck over Laurie’s shoulder, coming face to face with the figure in the hallway.

“Kali,” Robin breathed.

* * *

“Soo…” Robin said, purposefully shoving through the tension floating through the room thick enough to choke on. “El’s sister. I don’t think I ever caught a name to go with that.”

The girl turned to look at her. Damn it, why did the scary psychic criminal and potential harbinger of doom have to be so hot? The other woman looked her up and down, studying her. Then her eyes softened. Robin's breath caught. She was even more beautiful like that. “Kali.”

“Kali.” Robin stuck her hand out, surprised when she took it. Her hand was warm. “I’m Robin.”

* * *

“Who the hell are you?” Laurie demanded.

“Me? Who are you?” Kali’s gaze was just as sharp and dangerous as it had ever been. She glanced at Laurie before dismissing her and turning her attention to Robin. “Robin who is this?”

“I’m her girlfriend,” Laurie said, moving further in between the two of them. Robin shoved her back, glaring at her.

“Ex-girlfriend. You just broke up with me, remember?”

Laurie glared right back. “I never said that.”

“Even if you didn’t, you definitely lost that right after you accused me of sleeping with Steve.”

“Steve,” Kali said, breaking the staring contest between the two of them. “Our Steve?” Kali raised an eyebrow, amused at the world. Robin hadn’t realized how much she missed that. “Even if you did lean that direction love, you would have better taste than that.”

“Thank you!” Robin yelled, throwing her hands up into the air. Finally, someone gets it!”

“Love?” Laurie asked. “You know what? Fuck this and fuck you. I’m out of here.”

Robin blinked at her. Picking up the box and trash bag from where Laurie had dropped them in the doorway she shoved them into her arms. “Good riddance then. Don’t forget your stuff.”

Laurie wavered clearly not sure what to do having not gotten the last word in. With one last angry huff she stormed off down the hall.

“Were you the one who gave her the bloody nose?” Kali asked, watching her leave.

“Yeah. She– You know what, never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Do you want me to go after her?”

“No.”

“I can get my guys to–”

The anger which had been previously directed at Laurie bubbled back up, this time at Kali. “I don’t want you to do anything.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“You lost that right when you broke up with me.” As quick as it came all the anger drained away. Robin turned and walked back to her couch, not even caring when Kali followed her in. “What are doing here.”

“I–” Kali anything other than completely sure of herself. Mark the occasion. “I wanted to see you.”

Robin snorted. “That’s rich.”

“It’s true.”

“I haven’t seen you since we broke up_ three months ago_.”

Kali stormed in front of her. Robin pointedly stared out of the pitiful excuse for a window. “You make it sound like I dropped off the face of the earth. I still kept in contact.”

Robin turned to glare at her, fully aware she was dangerously close to pouting and not even caring. “With everyone else. I had to find out you were back in town through Lucas.” 

Kali faltered again. Two times in one day, that had to be a record. “I’m sorry.”

Robin sighed and scrubbed at her face. “Look. It’s been a long day. I broke up with my girlfriend. I found out my girlfriend was a raging bitch. What do you want?

“I missed you.” Robin shut her eyes. That was fighting dirty. “I can come back another time. I should go see El anyway. I’ll come back another day. Whenever you’re ready. I’ll be in town for a while.” The clump of Kali’s boots started heading for the door.

_Let her go, let her go, let her go._

“Wait.” Kali’s boots stopped. “What did you come here to say?”

“Are you sure? I can come back anoth–”

“No. Stay. I– I missed you too.” She opened her eyes and scooted over in clear invitation. “Now, what did you come here to say?”

Kali inched forward until she was in front of the couch again but didn’t sit down. She twisted her fingers between each other. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and met Robin’s eyes. God Robin had missed her eyes. “Sometimes you love people and you don’t stop loving them. And sometimes you’re not ready to deal with parts of each other or parts of yourself and you’re a shitty, shitty b– girlfriend. And sometimes you’re a shitty person in general. But that’s not the end. You can grow. You can become a better person. And just because you were shitty girlfriend the first time around doesn’t mean you can’t do better the second time. And maybe they won’t give you a second chance but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask. Because they are first and foremost your friends. And maybe…” Third time in one day. She should make a note of the date, Robin thought, but it was distant, fuzzy.

Kali took another breath. “Maybe they haven’t stopped loving you either.”

“Did you just quote my pep-talk for Steve back at me?” Robin blurted out.

Kali immediately blushed. “No.”

“You didn’t even change to pronouns. You almost said boyfriend,” she rambled, brain-to-mouth filter completely shut down. “I’m a little impressed he remembered so much of it after all these years.”

“I was nervous okay?” Kali snapped. “At least I remembered to cut out the middle bit about how great a friend Steve is.”

“I didn’t know you could get nervous.”

“Of course I can get nervous. When it’s important.”

“Like El.”

“Yeah. Or you.” Robin’s heart caught in her throat. “You’re worth being nervous over Robin.

Robin blinked rapidly, trying to fight off the tears that had decided to spring up. She would not cry, she would not cry, she would not–

“Dammit.” she hissed, wiping her eyes. “I’m not supposed to cry over you anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Robin said even though it definitely was. “It’s just been… It’s been a really long day.”

“You just broke up with your girlfriend.” Kali chewed on her lip. “I wouldn’t have– Steve never said anything about you dating anyone.”

“Laurie… was kind of a rebound.” _from you. _“Things went a lot… quicker and a lot more serious than they probably should have. It wasn’t anything really serious. It wasn’t anything–” _real._

_Not like you._

“Do you think… Would you like to grab something to eat? Catch back up with each other?” Kali asked, more nervous than Robin had ever heard her. Robin had always been the nervous one in the relationship. Kali had always been unfazeable. Even in the face of monsters and secretly evil long-lost brothers and guns pointed at her head.

“Yeah,” Robin said before she could think about it. “Yeah, I’d really like–” Reality caught back up to her and she winced. “I can’t.”

“Oh,” Kali said, sounding smaller than ever. “I– I understand.” She turned to leave, halfway to the door before Robin’s body caught up with what was happening.

“No!” she yelled, lunging up from the couch. Kali jumped. “It’s not like that! It’s not like that at all. It’s just I was kind of in the middle of something.” Fuck, that couldn’t have sounded more like a brush off if she _tried_. “It’s probably nothing but it might not be and if it’s not it could be trouble.” Robin stared down at the floor, Laurie’s words swarming around her. “I’m probably being paranoid. But I’m not going to be able to focus on anything else until–”

“Maybe I could help you?” Robin’s head shot up. Kali still stood in the doorway, looking like her confident self once again. “I mean, if you think it’s something important it probably is. And If it involves you it will end up involving my little sister eventually. Besides,” the shyness crept back in, unfamiliar on Kali’s face and in Robin’s opinion unfairly distracting, “I like helping you.”

“You really want to help? It’ll probably just be a wild goose chase.”

“I don’t mind. If you don’t mind me helping?”

“I don’t mind.” Robin immediately said, tripping over the words. “Not at all.”

Kali smiled at her. “Okay then.”

Robin smiled back. “Okay.”

She sat back down. Kali crossed the room and sat down next to her. Their shoulders brushed as she leaned in. Robin took a deep breath. She reached out hesitantly for Kali’s hand before turning toward the papers strewn across the table. Kali tangled their fingers together. Robin squeezed back.

“This is what I’ve got so far…”

**Author's Note:**

> In case you were trying to piece them all together, the flashbacks do not create some singular, complete overarching narrative. They all fit together but they're more snippets of future 'seasons' between canon and the present. But I do have a vague idea of how they most of them line up if anyone's interested.


End file.
